Container for relatively long,narrow objects



April 29, 1969 V.-ZAMP|CHELLI CONTAINER FOR RELATIVELY LONG, NARROW OBJECTS Filed Feb. 24, 1967 Sheet INVENTOR VINCENZO ZAM PICHE LLT BY/I/LMMQJBD \QY ATTORNEY5 V. ZAMPICHELLI April 29, 1969 I CONTAINER FOR RELATIVELY LONG, NARROW OBJECTS Sheet 2 of2 Filed Feb. 24, 1967 I II I} IIIIIIII |-2SNIXli5 IIII INVENTOR VINCENZO ZAMPICHELU BYMMIQALAJ%4AAA 1 m ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,441,165 CONTAINER FOR RELATIVELY LONG, NARROW OBJECTS Vincenzo Zampichelli, Genoa, Italy, assignor to The Torrington Company, Torrington, C0nn., a corporation of Maine Filed Feb. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 618,468 Int. Cl. 365d 43/12, 43/00, 85/24 US. Cl. 22041 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In packaging relatively small objects, such as knitting machine needles or the like, it is necessary to count the objects before placing them in their containers to assure that each container will contain a predetermined number of the objects. Since knitting machine needles are customarily sold in predetermined multiples per package, it will be appreciated that the counting operation is extremely laborious and time consuming, particularly if it is performed by hand. Accordingly, this counting operation has customarily been performed by weighing the needles on a scale and determining the correct number by weight. Although the weighing method is much faster than manual counting, it is still relatively time consuming, and it is highly desirable to provide a method of counting which eliminates the necessity of weighing the needles before inserting them in their containers or packages.

In accordance with this invention, a novel container structure has been devised in which the counting operation is performed automatically during the filling of the container. This is done by making the width of the container equal to a predetermined integral multiple of the Width of the objects to be placed therein, whereby when the container is completely filled, it will automatically contain a predetermined number of the objects. Furthermore, in order to allow the same exterior container dimensions to be used with different size needles, the container of this invention has been partitioned into two compartments and the width of the compartments can be varied for needles of different sizes so that the same basic container size can be used with differing needle sizes. In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, a novel snapfitting top cover has been provided to expedite the filling of the container, and a sliding end cover has been provided so that the needles can be removed from the container one at a time. Also, provisions are made to insert a sheet containing a volatile anti-rust substance to pro tect the needles against corrosion in the container.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a container which can be filled with a predetermined number of objects without the necessity of counting or weighing the objects before placing them in the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a container of the above-described character which can be used for objects having different widths.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a container for relatively long, narrow objects which is easier to fill than those heretofore known in the art.

3,441,165 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 ice A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above-described character which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and extremely sturdy in construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of one specific embodiment thereof, as illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a container constructed in accordance with the invention, and illustrates a snap-fitting cover and sliding end cover thereof removed from a body of the container.

FIGURE 2 is a top perspective view of the container shown in FIGURE 1, and illustrates the snap-fitting cover and sliding end cover thereof inserted in position to close the container;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, and illustrates one of a plurality of knitting machine needles within the container;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2, and illustrates a plurality of knitting needles within each of a pair of compartments of the container;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of another container taken along a line corresponding to line 4-4 of FIGURE 2, and illustrates the manner in which the container of FIGURES 1 through 4 is modified to reduce the size of the compartments for thinner needles.

FIGURE 6 is a detail perspective view of another sliding end cover of the invention, and illustrates a relieved corner for facilitating the manual grasping of the cover.

A novel container or package constructed in accordance with this invention is fully illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, and is generally designated by the reference numeral 5. The container 5 includes a body 10, a top cover 11 which is adapted to be snap-fitted onto the body 10, and a sliding end cover 12 which is adapted to be slidably inserted into the open end of the container defined by the body 10 and the top cover 11, as shown in FIG URE 2.

The body 10 of the container 5 is made of an integral piece of transparent plastic and includes a bottom wall 13, two upstanding side Walls 14 and 15 joined to opposing side edges of bottom wall 13, and an upstanding end wall 16 which is joined to corresponding end edges of the bottom wall 13 and the side walls 14 and 15. A partition member 17 comprising a pair of spaced parallel ribs 18 and 19 is joined to the center of the bottom wall 13 and the end wall 16, and extends parallel to the side walls 14, 15. The partition member 17 divides the container into two compartments C C (FIGURE 1) whose dimensions are selected to correspond to a predetermined integral multiple of the thickness of the objects N, such as knitting needles, to be contained therein, as will be explained in detail later.

The side walls 14, 15 and the end wall 16 are adapted to receive the top cover 11 in flush fitting relationship by means of a ledge 18 formed by cut-away portions of the upper inside surfaces thereof. The distance from the top of the end wall 16 and side walls 14, 15 to the ledge 18 is approximately equal to the thickness of the top cover 11, so that when top cover 11 is seated upon the ledge 18, its top surface Will be approximately flush with the top of the walls 14, 15 and 16. The distance between the side walls 14, 15 above the ledge 18 is slightly greater than the Width of the top cover 11 in the neighborhood of the end wall 16 so that the rear end of the top cover 11 can be easily inserted therebetween so as to rest upon the ledge 18. Undercut beveled surfaces 19 and 20 are formed in the side walls 14, 15 above the ledge 18 to engage in snap-fitting relationship with corresponding beveled surfaces 21, 22 of the top cover 11. The distance between the upper edges of the undercut beveled surfaces 19, 20 is slightly smaller than the distance between the lower edge of the corresponding beveled surfaces 21, 22. For this reason it is necessary that side walls 14, be made of an elastically deformable material, such as plastic or the like, so that the side walls can be slightly spread to admit the top cover 11 into snap-fitted interlocking relationship, as shown most clearly in FIGURES 2 and 4.

At the rear of the undercut beveled surfaces 19, the bevel is cut away as indicated at 23 and 24 to form vertical abutment surface so that the rear end of the top cover 11 (i.e., the unbeveled end) can be seated directly on the ledge 18, which acts as an anvil for the force required to snap-fit beveled surfaces 19, 20, 21 and 22 together. For this reasosn it is necessary for the length of the cut-away portions 23, 24 to be slightly longer than the corresponding unbeveled portions 25, 26 of the top cover 11, and it is also necessary for the distance between the cut-away surfaces 23, 24 to be slightly longer than the distance between the corresponding surfaces 25, 26 of the cover 11. With this arrangement the unbeveled end of the top cover 11 can be easily seated against the ledge 18 between the cut-away portions 23, 24 of the side walls 14, 15, and the top cover 11 can be easily snap-fitted into place by applying pressure with the thumb on the top cover 11 slightly forward of the unbeveled portions and 26. After the top cover 11 has been snap-fitted into place, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4, it is interlockingly secured against any sliding movement by the interaction of the abutments 27, 28 of the top cover 11 and the abutments 29, 30 of the side walls 14, 15, respectively.

The top cover 11 and the bottom wall 13 are adapted to slidingly receive the end cover 12 by means of grooves 31 and 32 formed in the respective end portions thereof. The side wall 15 extends the full length of the bottom wall 13 and acts as a stop for the sliding end cover 12, While the side wall 14 is relieved (FIGURE 6). A pair of tongues 33 and 34 are formed on the sliding cover 12, and engage in the grooves 31 and 32, respectively. An outer end surface 35 of the sliding cover 12 is preferably serrated as indicated at.36 and 37 to facilitate the manual sliding of the cover 12 between its open and its closed positions. The arrow formed by the serrations 37 indicates the direction of movement required to open end cover 12.

FIGURE 6 shows a modified form of construction of the sliding end cover in which the grooves in a top cover 11 and the bottom wall 13 of a dove-tail construction, and a sliding end cover 38 is of a corresponding transverse cross-sectional configuration. In this modification a recessed fingernail-receiving notch 39 is formed in one end of the outer surface of the cover 38 to provide a means for conveniently opening the container.

As shown most particularly in FIGURES 3, 4, and 5, the container 5 is designed to contain knitting machine needles N. The knitting machine needles N are relatively long and narrow and have a predetermined uniform thickness depending upon their particular size. In packaging these needles, it is necessary to enclose a predetermined number of the needles in the package (customarily fifty or so), and it is highly desirable to be able to package the proper number of needles in the container without counting. In accordance with this invention, this is accomplished by making the distance between the inner surfaces of the side walls 14, 15 and the opposing surfaces of the partition member 17 equal to a predetermined integral multiple of the thickness of the needles N. In this particular embodiment of the invention, which is designed to contain fifty needles, the total width of each compartment C C has been made equal to 25 times the width of the needles N so that each of the two compartments will contain exactly 25 needles when packed to capacity.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the process of packing the container of this invention is extremely simple, since it is performed with the top cover 11 removed from the container, and does not involve any counting or weighing of the needles. The person packing the container merely inserts as many needles as can be contained side-by-side in the two compartments C C and then snaps the top cover 11 into place by the simple process described heretofore. Before inserting the sliding end cover 12, however, it is preferable in the case of knitting machine needles to insert a sheet 41 containing a volatile anti-rust material between the needles and the top cover 11. For this reason the partition member 17 is preferably short enough to provide a small space between its upper surface and the lower surface of the top cover 11 so that a single sheet of material can be used. Also, in the case of knitting machine needles, it is customary to make the entire container of a clear plastic and to insert a sheet bearing the manufacturers trade name and the identifying number and size for the particular needles in the container, along with the sheet containing volatile anti-rust material. This provides a very attractive container in which the needles themselves can be seen through the bottom wall 13, and identified as to size and manufacture by reading the label through the top cover 11. After the label and sheet of volatile antirust material have been inserted between the needles and the top cover 11, the end cover 12 is slidably inserted into the corresponding grooves to close and complete the package.

An important feature of this invention is that the width of the partition member 17 can be varied so as to accommodate the same number of knitting machine needles of a smaller or larger size in the same basic container. Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5, this is done by making the partition member 17 wider, as indicated by the dimension X in FIGURE 5 for thinner needles N (or narrower for thicker needles). By this simple modification, the same basic container can be adapted to automatically contain fifty or any other desired multiple of needles of any thickness. In order to save material under these conditions, it is preferable to form the partition member 17 as two parallel ribs 43, 44. Although a solid partition member could be used in this invention, it would be wasteful of material when the partition member is relatively wide as indicated in FIGURE 5 to accommodate relatively thin needles.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that this invention provides a container for relatively long, thin objects in which a predetermined number of the objects can be packed without counting. It will also be apparent that the invention provides a container which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to fill, attractive in appearance, and sturdy in structure.

While one form of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangements of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, in some embodiments of the invention it may be desirable to adapt the container to hold twenty-five needles of one thickness in one of the two compartments thereof and twenty-five needles of a different thickness in the other compartment thereof.

The ribs 43, 44 of the partition member 17 would therefore be spaced different distances from the longitudinal centerline of the container whereby the thinner needles would be packaged in the narrower compartment and vice-versa. Also, instead of making the container from transparent plastic material it may be desirable in some embodiments of the invention to use an opaque plastic material or some other entirely different material, such as metal. These and many other modifications of the disclosed structure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and this invention includes all modifications falling within the scope of this disclosure.

I claim:

1. A container comprising top, bottom, a pair of side and a pair of end walls, means mounting one of said end walls for sliding movement for opening and closing the interior of the container, and means defining a snap-lit immovable connection between said top wall and at least one of said side walls, said snap-fit connection means being defined by a groove in said one side wall opening into the interior of said container and receiving therein an edge portion of said top wall, said one side wall being constructed from elastically deformable material which maintains said edge portion and said groove in engaged relationship, and cooperative abutment surface means between said top wall and a side wall of said container for preventing movement of said top Wall toward said one end wall.

2. The container as defined in claim 1 wherein said top and bottom walls include opposed grooves in which is slidably mounted said one end wall.

3. The container as defined in claim 1 including a partition member disposed between and generally parallel to said pair of side walls, said partition member defining at least two compartments within said container, and the distance between surfaces of said partition member and opposing surfaces of associated side walls being a predetermined integral multiple of the thickness of objects adapted to be positioned within said compartments whereby each compartment will contain a predetermined number of said objects when completely filled therewith.

4. The container as defined in claim 1 wherein said bottom wall, said pair of side walls, and the other of said end walls is of a one-piece homogeneous molded polymeric construction.

5. The container as defined in claim 1 wherein said groove includes a ledge beneath an uppermost terminal edge of said one side wall, and the distance between said ledge and said terminal edge is approximately equal to the thickness of said top wall thereby permitting said top wall to be seated on said ledge with an uppermost surface thereof approximately flush with said terminal edge.

6. The container as defined in claim 1 wherein said groove terminates short of the other of said pair of end walls opposite said one end wall.

7. The container as defined in claim 1 wherein said cooperative abutment surface means is defined by abutment shoulders of said top wall edge portion and said one'side wall which are disposed in generally transverse relationship to said one side wall.

8. The container as defined in claim 2 wherein said cooperative abutment surface means is defined by abutment shoulders of said top wall edge portion and said one side wall which are disposed in generally transverse relationship to said one side wall.

9. The container as defined in claim 8 wherein the other of said side walls and the adjacent edge portion of said top wall include snap-fit connection means and abutment surface means identical to those of said first-mentioned top wall edge portion and said one side wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM T. DIXSON, 111., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 206-66; 217-56 

